Keng Chou

Profile

Research and Teaching Interests

Our research is devoted to the application of nonlinear optical spectroscopy in surface chemistry, materials science and biophysical chemistry:

(I) Nanoscale Far-field Microscopy for Research in Biological and Material Science

Because of the diffraction limit, the resolution of a far-field fluorescent microscope is limited to 200-300 nm, which makes it unable to resolve many fine structures. We have developed a two-photon excitation fluorescence (2PEF) microscope with 55-nm resolution. We study biological and material science problems with the nanoscale optical microscope.

(II) Oilsands Surface Chemistry

Canada’s oilsands reserves, which are estimated at 175 billion barrels, place Canada second in the world ranking of crude oil reserves. However, the large amount of water used in current bitumen extraction processes is a great concern, particularly as the industry is expected to grow over the next 20 years. Our research objective is to understand the competition adsorption of solvents, water, and bitumen on mineral materials to provide molecular-level information for developing a more environment-friendly extraction process. This research project is funded by the Imperial Oil-Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Oil Sands Innovation. More information can be found at www.cosi.ca

Surface properties of materials are often different from those for the bulk, and they play an important role in many natural and industrial processes. The surfaces of polymers, for example, have very different molecular structures from the bulks. These structural differences can lead to different phase transition properties and different optical and electronic properties.

(IV) Surface Chemistry at Aqueous and Electrochemical Interfaces

As water is often considered the most important solvent, a molecular-level understanding of aqueous interfaces is critical for understanding many environmental, chemical and biological processes. However, because of the difficulties to probe a buried aqueous interface, our understanding of the buried aqueous interface is still limited. Our group uses sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy to probe the structures of water molecules and their interactions with the substrates.

Financial supports for graduate students available

Interested students already accepted by UBC may email me directly. Prospective graduate students should visit this link , submit your application to UBC, and contact me by email.